At dawn of the Computer Era, integrated circuits (ICs) consisted of a single integrated circuit chip attached to an integrated circuit chip carrier in a single package. The integrated circuit chip carriers and the integrated circuit chips had small number of interconnections made by wire bonding. Quality control and/or performance evaluation of IC parts was possible to perform before assembling all IC parts in one package.
Complexity of modern technology for IC manufacturing has drastically increased. In our days modern ICs often comprise several integrated circuit chips assembled in 3-D integrated circuit chip stacks. The interconnections between integrated circuit chips are made using flip chip controlled collapse chip connection (C4). This interconnection technology employs arrays of solder bumps between adjacent surfaces of integrated circuit chips of the 3-D integrated circuit chip stacks. The same technology can be used for making interconnects between the 3-D integrated circuit chip stacks and the integrated circuit chip carriers. The increase in IC complexity is manifested not only in increase in a number of interconnections between the integrated circuit chips of the 3-D integrated circuit chip stacks and between the 3-D integrated circuit chip stacks and integrated circuit chip carriers but in an increased complexity of the IC parts themselves. For instance modern integrated circuit chip carriers can comprise not only contact pads, metal wiring, and pins as their predecessors but passive and/or active electronic parts well. The modern integrated circuit chip carriers can further comprise separate integrated circuit chips attached next to the 3-D integrated circuit chip stacks. On top of it aforementioned interconnections in modern ICs are pushed to the extreme and play a crucial role in IC performance. As a result required performance of these interconnections, the IC parts, and entire IC can be achieved and evaluated only when all IC parts of one IC package are assembled together.